HVAC Books: The Best Resources For Your Bookshelf

HVAC technicians need to stay current on the latest technologies, laws, and trends in the field. We have found the best HVAC books that are useful tools for both the apprentice and the journeyman.

These books are reference materials that can be reused throughout the HVAC technician’s career. We expect that you will use these HVAC training books often after you make them part of your personal library.

Best Overall HVAC Book

The best book on the market for HVAC technicians to have in their reference library is the eighth edition of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology written by John Tomczyk, Eugene Silberstein, Bill Whitman, and Bill Johnson.

This is a practical guide that contains examples and photos for quick reference while in the field. Referring to wiring diagrams is a part of the everyday routine for HVAC technicians, and this book provides hands-on information that is great for the beginner.

The book is useful for learning about older HVAC systems as well as the latest technology. For the journeyman who is training an apprentice and who is not enrolled in a formal vocational program, this book can be used as a private teaching tool.

You will likely use this book long after the binding starts falling apart, if you purchase the print version. To avoid the binding issue or lugging around a large reference book, this book is available in digital form.

Best HVAC Repair and Troubleshooting Book

Roger A. Fischer and Ken Chernoff teamed up to write the best HVAC repair and troubleshooting book, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Repair. This particular book excels in providing information about the electrical aspects of cooling systems. The data and diagrams in this book refer to older units, but the fundamentals for how to repair an air conditioning unit have not changed.

If you are a service technician who repairs older central air conditioning units, this book should be in your reference library. It will provide schemata and helpful tips for completing the task successfully. This book would be helpful for the apprentice and as a refresher tool for the journeyman HVAC technicians. It is well organized and written in an easy to understand format.

If you are performing service calls on older units, this book wouldn’t collect dust on a reference shelf. Instead, it would probably get dirty from wear and tear on the jobsite.

Best HVAC Book for a Beginner

Our recommendation for the best book for a beginner is the twentieth edition of Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning written by Andrew D. Althouse, Carl H. Turnquist, Alfred F. Bracciano, Daniel C. Bracciano, and Gloria M. Bracciano. It contains theory as well as practical tips for installing and repairing HVAC systems.

The book’s current edition has included updated content focusing on energy efficiency and safety. HVAC-R technicians must stay up to date, and applying the information learned from this book will help the technician be successful on the job.

Review of the Best HVAC Books

We have rounded up the selection of the best HVAC books on the market. We have reviewed them here for you.

Our favorite is the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology Manual, which we’ve discussed above. It’s the main reference book that every HVAC technician should read and have on hand for quick reference.

​Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning not only ranks as the best books for beginners, but it’s something you’ll use on a continuing basis. It will be something you want to keep coming back to in order to update yourself. It’s a great reference for almost any question you could have.

Some other top materials that you might want to have on your shelf, or better yet in your truck, are the following:​

Commercial Refrigeration: For Air Conditioning Technicians is written by Dick Wirz. This second edition book is a helpful resource for technicians who are repairing refrigeration equipment.

This book was written by an expert in the field, and his sound advice is both practical and of high interest to the reader. The tips given here can be easily applied. This book would be the one to refer to when you are on the job site.

The Guide to the NATE-ICE Certification Exams is another of our favorite HVAC books on the market for technicians who are seeking certification. This book contains practice exam questions and helps you familiarize with the testing format.

If you are planning to take the NATE/ICE exams, this book will help you pass. There are more than 2,400 questions packed into this study guide. The book includes study materials as well as the practice exam questions.

Those who are new to the HVAC field must become certified by the EPA to purchase refrigerants, recharging units, recovering refrigerants, and to dispose of them properly. The ESCO Institute and Jerry Weiss have co-authored the ESCO Institute Section 608 Certification Exam Preparatory Manual for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technicians.

This manual includes most of what you need to know to be able to pass the exam and become EPA Section 608 certified. If you are an apprentice who is brand new to the field, you would need to use this book along with an additional resource to learn all of the material required for passing the exam. However, if you are already familiar with refrigerants, this still makes a great resource.

Conclusion

If you are looking to add new titles to your reference library, the titles we have reviewed here are the best HVAC books on the market. You can’t go wrong with choosing any of our featured selections. It is likely that these books will become dog-eared with use and highlighted or bookmarked for future quick references.